Our story

When Ethan started brewing beer in his dorm room at college, he had no idea that a path was being forged toward what would eventually become The Highway Brewing Company. Little did he know that the small batch, that would later be dumped down the drain, would begin a passion for craft beer.

Prior to this undercover experimentation within Hillside Place at Michigan Technological University, Ethan met Erin. Their relationship spanned 448 miles, with Ethan in the Upper Peninsula and Erin in their hometown of West Branch. What brought them together were the long stretches of Michigan highways they traveled to visit one another.

Eventually getting married, and both moving back home to West Branch. Ethan and Erin started dreaming about a brewery in the heart of their downtown, and always stopped to admire one building in particular. Over the course of the next few years, that dream became reality. That building was transformed and created the home of The Highway Brewing Company.

Now, the scale of Ethan’s experiments are larger, and the distance between the couple is smaller, but the heart of both are not lost. While Ethan now brews on a 3 barrel system, rather than a home brew kit, he still is just as excited about new recipes and flavors. And while Ethan and Erin are back home in West Branch, they still enjoy road trips and exploring.

Just as highways bring people together, it is our goal to do the same at The Highway Brewing Company. Beer has a long, rich history of connecting individuals and even civilizations, and we believe that power is still very strong today.

While craft beer is what started this journey, Ethan and Erin’s vision of a small taproom has grown. We are excited to share our passion for craft in all forms with our community, whether it be through our food, our craft cocktails, or of course, our handcrafted ales.